Registrar Services/Educational Records

Personal Information Updates

Personal information updates, such as name or address changes, can be submitted in writing to Compass Students Services.  Personal information updates require the completion of a form.  Students can find the form on the Champlain College website.

International students are also required by federal statute to notify the Director of International Student Services of any change of address within 10 days of moving.

Confidentiality of Records

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students, defined as anyone who is or has been in attendance at the College, certain rights. The rights described in the sections below are provided here to satisfy the notification requirements of FERPA, and this notification is not intended to confer upon students any rights (by means of a contractual or quasi-contractual theory or otherwise) that are not provided by FERPA itself.

You have the right to provide written consent before the College discloses personally identifiable information from your student education records, except to the extent that FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. You may submit or revoke your permission to release otherwise non-releasable educational records at any time, by providing a request in writing to the Registrar’s Office.

The Consent to Release Educational Records form is available, for your convenience, on the Champlain College Web site under “Registrar’s Office.”

FERPA defines educational records as “records, files, documents, and other materials which contain information directly related to a student…maintained by an educational agency or institution.” By law, “educational records” do not include:

1. Personal files of faculty and administrative staff in the maker’s sole possession that are not revealed to any other person
2. Records of Champlain College’s Security division
3. Medical or psychological records created and used only by those providing treatment to a student (a physician or other professional may review these records at the student’s request, however)

Directory Information

Directory information is information contained in the education records of a student that would not generally be considered harmful or an invasion of privacy if disclosed.  The College can disclose directory information about students at various times during the academic year. This information includes your name, sex, home and school addresses, e-mail address, phone number, major field of study, extracurricular activities, dates of attendance, degrees, honors or awards you have received, your photograph or video image, the most recent education institution you attended, and your parents’ names, addresses and phone numbers.

Photo Release Policy

Unless a written statement to the contrary is filed with the Registrar, students give permission and authorization to Champlain College to use any photographic, video and/or digital images, or images in any other form now existing or invented in the future, of themselves that are taken or authorized to be taken by a Champlain College faculty or staff member, where such use is for instructional or promotional purposes. Students waive any right to inspect or approve such use. Students release any and all claims or damages for libel, slander, or invasion of right of privacy.

Student Access Rights

Students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of the day the College receives a request for access.

By law, much of the information provided to Champlain College when applying for admission is kept confidential. This section outlines which records may and may not be permitted to review:

1. Financial records and related financial information about parents cannot be released to students. The law requires Champlain College to either store these records separately from records subject to your review or conspicuously stamp them “Confidential-Not to Be Released.”

2. The College is not required to let students see confidential evaluations and recommendations that were placed in your education files prior to January 1, 1975. All other education records are open for student inspection unless you waive your right of access (see following paragraph).

3. Students may elect to waive their right to review evaluations and recommendations submitted on or after January 1, 1975, but you cannot be required to waive this right as a condition of admission, of receiving financial aid or of receiving any other services or benefits from the College. Even if you waive your right of access, you still have the right to request the name of each person who has submitted any evaluation or recommendation to your files. These evaluations and recommendations may be used only for the purpose(s) intended.

Grade Notification Policy

Students may access their grades within Self-Service through the student portal on the College website.  Students are required to log-in with their Champlain username and password to obtain their grade information.  Grades are reported by faculty following the completion of a term and at mid-semester for full-semester courses. See the Grades section for further explanation.

Access Rights of Others

FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children’s education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are “eligible students.”  Generally, schools must have written permission from the eligible student in order to release any information from a student’s education record.  However, FERPA does allow schools to disclose those records, without prior consent.

The following are non-exhaustive examples of individuals to whom education records may be released without consent, and/or circumstances in which education records may be released without consent:

• A College official with a legitimate educational interest. 

• Specified officials for audit or evaluation purposes.

• Recognized accrediting organizations carrying out their accrediting functions.

• Appropriate parties in connection with financial aid to a student.

• Appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies.

• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena.

• Other schools to which a student is transferring.

• In other circumstances as allowed by FERPA.

Procedures for Examining a Record

1. To review any of your academic records, you first must submit a request in writing to the Registrar. 

2. Once a request is submitted, the Registrar has 45 days to make the record available.

3. Anyone seeking to review their education record is required to properly identify themself before being shown a record.

4. Students are obligated to examine their records during reasonable hours at the office where they are maintained and not to interfere with the operation of that office.

5. Before the records are turned over for review, all confidential data as outlined under Student Access Rights will be removed.

6. The examination of the record will be supervised.

7. Students may obtain copies of their record during this examination..

Expunging Academic Records

Each student’s permanent academic record is maintained in perpetuity by the College. The College does not expunge permanent academic records.  Other records that are not officially designated as permanent academic records will be eliminated in accordance with any document retention policy maintained by the College.

Challenging the Content of an Academic Record

Students have the right to challenge the content of their education records if they believe the record is inaccurate, misleading or violates their privacy. A student must first write to the Registrar and clearly identify the part of the record that is believed to be inaccurate and specify why it should be changed. If the College decides not to amend the record as requested, the student will be notified in writing of the decision and will be given information to appeal the decision.

Should the appeal be denied, students have the right to place a written statement in their record stating your specific disagreement. Each time the disputed record is released to a third party; the College will also distribute your statement of disagreement.

Filing a Complaint

You have the right to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education if you believe that the College has violated your rights under FERPA. The address of the office responsible for investigating complaints is:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-5920

Information Security Program

In order to continue to protect certain private information and data, and to comply with federal laws effective May 23, 2003, the College has developed an information security program for certain highly critical and private financial and related information. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires the College to develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive security program containing the administrative, technical and physical safeguards that are appropriate to the College’s size, to its complexity, and to the nature of its activities. The program has five components:

(1) designating an employee or office responsible for coordinating the program; (2) conducting risk assessments to identify reasonably foreseeable security and privacy risks;

(3) ensuring that safeguards are employed to control the risks identified and that the effectiveness of these safeguards is regularly tested and monitored;

(4) overseeing service providers; and

(5) maintaining and adjusting this information security program based upon the results of testing and monitoring, as well as changes in operations or operating systems. The plan will be evaluated and revised annually. The designated employee for the coordination and execution of the information security plan at Champlain College is the Director of Infrastructure. All inquiries about the information security program should therefore be directed to the Information Systems Department.